VOA Texas Shootout Partial Round 2 Notes and Interviews

Round 2 Play Suspended Due To Inclement Weather

The remaining 70 players will resume their second rounds tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. CT. After a cut, round three will begin at approximately 11:15 a.m. CT off of #1 and #10 tees. The median scores will be playing first off of #1 and #10, with the lowest scores playing last from #1 and the highest scores playing last from #10.

Gerina Piller Takes the Overnight Lead After A Bogey-Free Round 2

Gerina Piller stuffed her approach shot on the 18th hole to two feet and calmly tapped in the putt to get to 10-under for the tournament and will take the clubhouse lead into the weekend at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout Presented by JTBC.

“I mean, the course is actually in soft conditions so that always helps to get the ball to stop,” Piller said. “These greens are pretty tricky. So getting it close is definitely huge out here because the greens, some of them are pretty big, and some of the breaks you can get pretty fast putts going downhill down grain, and you can also get really slow putts going the opposite way. It definitely helps to be hitting it really well.”

Piller, who holds a one-shot lead over Eun-Hee Ji, was part of the morning wave which wrapped up before play was suspended due to inclement weather at 4:02 local time with all 24 groups in the afternoon wave out on the course. First round leader MJ Hur has the low round on the course at 8-under par.

“You know, it’s one of those things where you just go out there and go okay, this could be my last hole before the delay,” Piller said of playing on a day where the forecast looked grim.

Before the weather came in, the Fort Worth resident put on a show in front of the home crowd by posting a bogey-free 65 to climb into the lead.

“I don’t get to have my family out a lot so having them out definitely takes my mind off of it because I just love spending time with them,” Piller said. “But the same side it’s hard to get in your tournament routine when you go back home and you might have laundry to do or dishes to put away, something that you don’t normally do on the road. Tuesday trash day. So you’ve kind of got to remind yourself that it’s a tournament and just stick to your routine.”

Eun-Hee Ji Shoots 66, Stands Alone In Second Place

It may have taken a few holes for Eun-Hee Ji to be fully awake after teeing off at 7:59 a.m. on Friday. Ji began her round with a bogey and was 1-over through the first four holes of her day before grabbing a birdie on the par-4 14th, the first of six in her second round 66.

“Yeah, I was sleeping there,” Ji said of her slow start. “Yeah, I three putt over there but greens a lot faster than yesterday because I played afternoon yesterday. I just figured out with the putting speed, yep. It was better after that.”

Ji sits at 9-under par for the tournament and is alone in second place just one shot back of the lead. The 2009 U.S. Women’s Open champion could secure the third victory of her career with a win at the VOA Texas Shootout, but she’ll keep her mind off of her scorecard going into the weekend.

“I’m not thinking about the score, I just thinking about keep focusing on my play and just focus on my rhythm and just my game.”

Ariya Jutanugarn Overcomes Slow Start To Shoot 66

Ariya Jutanugarn started her day with three consecutive bogeys but was able to bounce back in a big way by making six birdies and an eagle on her way in to finish with a 5-under round of 66.

“Actually, after three bogey in a row I didn’t feel anything,” Jutanugarn said. “I just feel like actually I hit a good driver, a good tee shot and just made like an error with the second shot. So I didn’t do anything, so I just keep doing what I’m going to do.”

Jutanugarn, who currently sits in fourth, is having a solid sophomore campaign with a pair of top-10s and would like to add a win this week in Irving.

“Focus on all shot by shot,” Jutanugarn said of her approach to the weekend. “Not like thinking about in the future too much.”

Henderson In The Hunt Yet Again

Brooke Henderson fired a second round 68 to move to 5-under, five shots back of leader Gerina Piller, entering the weekend at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout Presented by JTBC.

“It was a lot more scoreable than it was yesterday, especially in the morning it was a little bit softer after the rain last night and the greens were holding and you were able to be aggressive,” said Henderson. “I didn’t really take advantage as much as I would have liked, but 3-under is a solid round and I’ll have to be better on the weekend.”

Henderson heads into the weekend with a ton of confidence as she is riding a streak of eight consecutive top-10 finishes.

“Knowing that I can play with some of the best in the world and compete every week is definitely a confidence booster for me,” Henderson said of her streak. “I’m excited to be in the position I’m in right now and I’m looking forward to hopefully two solid rounds on the weekend.”

Shootout Winners Playing Well

Through the first round and a half of the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout Presented by JTBC the four players who qualified through the high school and college shootouts have been playing solidly.

Cheyenne Knight leads the group sitting at 5-under through 14 holes of her second round which currently has her in a tie for sixth, while both Karah Sanford and Maddie Szeryk both sit inside the cutline.

Below is how all four shootout qualifiers have fared through Friday.